‘Runaways’ actor Kip Pardue, who plays Frank Dean on the Hulu Marvel adaptation, has become the latest actor accused of sexual assault. The misconduct did not occur on the set of ‘Runaways’ but rather an independent pilot, entitled ‘Mogulettes’. His accuser is costar Sarah Scott, who stated that Pardue placed her hand on his erect penis during a post-coital scene they were filming. She then attested that afterward, Pardue called her into his dressing room, where he proceeded to masturbate in front of her. He allegedly told her “This isn’t a #MeToo thing. I’m not your employer. It’s not like I can fire you.” After the incident, Scott says she confronted him, to which he replied that she was “just so hot.”
In a statement through his representative David Shane, Pardue reacted:
“I clearly misread the situation during a sex scene on set and have apologized to Sarah. I never intended to offend her in any way and deeply regret my actions and have learned from my behavior.”
The offending incident is said to have taken place on May 16 of this year, after MANY male actors, directors, and moguls had already seen their careers derailed following similar accusations. In fact, Pardue’s alleged behavior is similar to accusations made against actor/comedian Louis C.K., who saw his comedy programs yanked from Netflix as a result.
Upon learning of the incident, ‘Mogulettes’ executive producer Bennett Talsky says he reported it to a SAG-AFTRA business representative and asked both actors for their versions of the story. According to Talsky:
“[Pardue] danced around the whole thing and never admitted to it. He was trying to justify it, saying they had really good chemistry and he got carried away.”
Pardue plays Frank Dean, on ‘Runaways’, a former actor and leader of the Church of Gibborim. His character is married to Annie Wersching’s Leslie Dean and the father of Karolina Dean, played by Virginia Gardner, who has light-manipulation powers. Julian McMahon portrays the leader Jonah, who is Karolina’s biological father.
The second season of ‘Runaways’ has already been filmed and is due for release in its entirety on December 16, 2017. (Note, Season 1 was released one episode at a time, but Hulu has changed that release strategy.) As of this writing, Hulu and ‘Runaways’ have not reacted to the unfolding story, so it is unknown if these allegations will impact the show.
Scott has filed complaints but has been informed that the process could take up to six months to resolve.
Source: LA Times
